BMW announced plans for the i4 last year
and new details are starting to emerge about the upcoming electric vehicle. According to Roadshow,
the model will initially be launched with an 80 kWh battery that presumably
powers two electric motors. The latter will reportedly give the car a combined
output of 523 hp.
That would make the i4 more powerful than
the M3 which has a twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that produces 425
hp. Despite this, the i4 will have a similar 0-100
km/h time of approximately 4.0 seconds. However, the EV will reportedly be
limited to 193 km/h.
In terms of range, the i4 will reportedly
be able to travel around 600 km on a single charge in the WLTP
cycle. When it comes time to recharge the battery, the car will be able to get
an 80% charge in 35 minutes using a 150-kW DC fast charger. Drivers facing a
time crunch can get approximately 100 km of range in about 6
minutes.
While the i4 will ride on the same
platform that underpins the 3-Series, the i4 will be significantly heavier.
There’s no word on how much, but Roadshow says the battery module will weigh
around 544 kg.
The BWM i4 will arrive in 2021 and the
publication says we can expect additional variants in the future. There’s no
word on specifics, but it’s possible the company could offer an entry-level
variant with a single electric motor and / or a smaller battery pack.
